Harry Kane Wins 2026 Ballon d’Or, Becomes First Englishman in 25 Years to Claim Award

October 27, 2026

London: England captain Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d’Or, becoming the first Englishman in 25 years to receive football’s most prestigious individual award.

The ceremony took place at the London Palladium Theatre on October 27. The 70th edition of the award was held outside Paris for the first time, in tribute to Stanley Matthews, who won the inaugural Ballon d’Or in 1956.

Kane is only the fifth Englishman to win the award. He follows Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, who won it twice in 1978 and 1979, and Michael Owen, who claimed the honour in 2001.

Kane’s Record-Breaking Season With Bayern Munich

The striker enjoyed the best season of his career in 2025-26, scoring 73 goals in 65 appearances for Bayern Munich and England. He scored 61 goals for the German club and added 12 for his country.

His 36 Bundesliga goals earned him a second European Golden Shoe, while his performances helped Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga title, the DFB-Pokal and the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup.

Kane also played a key role in England’s campaign at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where the Three Lions finished third. It was England’s best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966.

Kane Credits Teammates and Coaches

Speaking after receiving the award, Kane described the season as the best of his career and said he was proud of the number of goals he had scored.

“It was an incredible year for me last year – to score the amount of goals I did was something I’m extremely proud of,” he said.

He also thanked his Bayern Munich and England teammates, along with coaches Thomas Tuchel and Vincent Kompany, for their support.

“To score this amount of goals is a total team effort. Without them, without the players I have around me pushing me in training and in matches, it wouldn’t be possible,” Kane said.

Kane also won the Gerd Müller Trophy, awarded to the best men’s striker of the year. It was his second time receiving the honour after sharing the award with Kylian Mbappé in 2024.